Craig:
 
 If this were a post on Facebook, I'd hit "like," especially the part about drug companies "discovering new diseases." I did tell the students that I would present the question to the members of ATEG, so that maybe they could come up with answer or consensus. The students were very impressed that a panel of experts would be presented with the usage problem, as the answer was not in the back of their books. They were also surprised that I did not have the answer. (Only "lettered" answers are provided and this was a "numbered" question). As we all know, there is only ever one correct answer when it comes to grammar. (kidding, of course) Thank you for your response and thanks to Bill for his response also!
Best-
Carol

--- On Thu, 9/29/11, Hancock, Craig G <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

From: Hancock, Craig G <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Re: Word usage problem?
To: [log in to unmask]
Date: Thursday, September 29, 2011, 10:50 AM

     It's also possible that "Peninsula" connotes "surrounded on three sides," so this would be mildly redundant. "The Keeneshaw Peninsula juts into Lake Superior" or "is bounded by Lake superior." Something like that would be cleaner.
    It seems to me more and more that handbooks are in the business of discovering error in the same way that drug companies are in the business of discovering new diseases. At a certain point, it becomes self serving (to the companies) and dangerous to the public, complete with serious side effects.
   The best way to avoid error is to shut up or die.
   We should declare a moratorium on error and invent something comparable to holistic medicine.
   Holistic grammar? It might get attention.
Craig
   
________________________________________
From: Assembly for the Teaching of English Grammar [[log in to unmask]" ymailto="mailto:[log in to unmask]">[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Carol Morrison [[log in to unmask]" ymailto="mailto:[log in to unmask]">[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Thursday, September 29, 2011 10:32 AM
To: [log in to unmask]" ymailto="mailto:[log in to unmask]">[log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Word usage problem?

The only explanation we could *come* up with...(sorry!)

--- On Thu, 9/29/11, Carol Morrison <[log in to unmask]" ymailto="mailto:[log in to unmask]">[log in to unmask]> wrote:

From: Carol Morrison <[log in to unmask]" ymailto="mailto:[log in to unmask]">[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Word usage problem?
To: [log in to unmask]" ymailto="mailto:[log in to unmask]">[log in to unmask]
Date: Thursday, September 29, 2011, 10:08 AM

Dear List Members:

This morning in class, the students and I came across a sentence in their grammar handbook that apparently contains a misusage of some sort that we could not identify:

The Keweenaw Peninsula is surrounded on three sides by Lake Superior.

The only explanation we could some up with is that "three sides" should be replaced with "all sides" because a peninsula only has three sides and an isthmus. Or does it have two sides?

Best-

Carol

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